Ajax travel north-east to face Heerenveen at the Abe Lenstra Stadion on Sunday for the final fixture of the 2025-26 Eredivisie campaign, and Wout Weghorst — who scored Ajax’s 84th‑minute equaliser against FC Utrecht last weekend — sits at the centre of their immediate focus.
The scoreboard facts make clear what is at stake: Ajax are fifth in the table, three points behind third‑placed Twente and one point adrift of fourth‑placed NEC, so a win alone will not guarantee Champions League qualification; they need results elsewhere as well. Since the turn of the year Ajax have won six of 16 league matches, drawn seven and lost three, and they have managed consecutive league wins on only one occasion. The side drew 2-2 with PSV Eindhoven the week before last, then lost 2-1 at home to Utrecht — Weghorst pulled Ajax level in the 84th minute before Mike van der Hoorn scored the stoppage‑time winner for Utrecht. Ajax do carry some momentum from the road: they have won their last two away matches, scoring five goals without reply.
Heerenveen arrive in eighth, already guaranteed a place in the European play‑offs, but still able to improve their final standing. The Friesland club sit one point behind sixth‑placed AZ Alkmaar and are level on points with seventh‑placed FC Utrecht. Their recent form has been solid: Heerenveen have won six, drawn one and lost two of their last nine league outings, failing to score in only two of those matches. Last weekend they lost 2-0 away at NAC Breda — Boy Kemper struck in both halves for NAC — but that result was only Heerenveen’s second defeat in nine. At home they have been particularly dangerous, winning each of their last five home league matches and scoring at least twice in each of those wins.
The head‑to‑head record supplies a frisson: Heerenveen have won only one of their last 35 competitive meetings with Ajax and have lost 29 of those 35 fixtures. The reverse fixture this season ended 1-1. That historical dominance by Ajax sits uneasily beside Heerenveen’s recent home form, creating a tangible tension for Sunday — a club that rarely beats Ajax at all is suddenly a prolific scorer on its own patch.
Selection and availability add another layer. Ajax are expected to remain without Owen Wijndal, Oleksandr Zinchenko, Kian Fitz‑Jim and Vitezslav Jaros because of injury problems, weakening options in defence and midfield. Up front Ajax rely on Mika Godts — the league’s leading scorer for the club with 17 goals — and Weghorst, who has eight Eredivisie goals this season. Heerenveen will look to exploit any gaps left by those absences; their recent home streak shows they can turn pressure into goals.
The match will decide little for Heerenveen beyond final table position and seeding for the play‑offs, but for Ajax it is a season‑defining day. Given Ajax’s inconsistent form since January, their dependence on late goals and the injury list, they will need a strong performance at Abe Lenstra and a favourable outcome elsewhere to scramble into the top four. If Ajax fail to win, their fate will almost certainly be decided off the pitch rather than on it.
